It was a beautiful morning in Egypt, the time when he sun just begins to rise over the land as a young girl leaves her hut, her long brown hair is in a messy disarray, but that only heightens her beauty. Her deep blue eyes sparkle as she begins her decent into town, a book clutched to her chest.
"Little town, it's a quiet village
Every day, like the one before
Little town, full of little people
Waking up to say…"
"Iiti!"
"Iiti!"
"Iiti!"
"Iiti!"
"Iiti!"
The townspeople cried as they each flooded into town to do their daily business. Mana smiled on at them as she continued her walk down the dirt road.
"There goes the baker with his tray like always
The same old bread and rolls to sell
Every morning just the same
Since the morning that we came
To this poor provincial town... "
"Good morning, Mana!" The chubby baker called as Mana walked past his store.
"Good morning sir." She called back as she turned around to the bakery.
"Where are you off to?" The baker asked curious.
"The bookshop!" Mana exclaimed excitedly. "I just finished the most wonderful story, about a beanstalk and an ogre and…
"That's nice…Marie, the bread! Hurry up" The baker exclaimed to the open window, ignoring Mana completely. She took it all in stride though, throwing her hands up in an 'Oh well' fashion before carrying on to her destination. As she walked past them, the villagers began to gossip.
"Look there she goes, that girl is strange no question
Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?
Never part of any crowd
Cause her head's up on some cloud
No denying she's a funny girl, that Mana!"
The peasants said as they watched Mana jump onto the back of a chariot passing by, as they continued on with their daily routine.
"Iiti!"
"Good day!"
"How is your family?"
"Iiti!"
"Good day!"
"How is your wife?"
"I need six eggs!"
"That's too expensive!" Were the intermixed cries of all the townspeople bustling around. As Mana watched on she couldn't help but be fed up with doing the same thing every day. It was so boring.
"There must be more than this provincial life!" She cried, only to be stopped as she saw that she was right in front of the bookshop. She smiled as she jumped gracefully off the chariot and walked into the store.
"Ah, Mana!" The kind, old bookkeeper cried in glee as he looked at his favorite customer.
"Good morning sir. I've come to return the book I borrowed." Mana said as he held out the think blue book to him. The bookkeeper looked shocked before laughing,
"Finished already?" As he grabbed the novel from her, and put it back on the shelf.
"Oh, I couldn't put it down it was so amazing! Have you got anything new today?" Mana asked excitedly as she looked though the shelves eagerly. The bookkeeper laughed at the young girls antics before replying,
"Not since yesterday my dear."
"That's all right. " Mana said, not bothered in the least. "I'll just borrow... this one." She cried, grabbing a worn red book off of the highest shelf. The bookkeeper looked at her, amused.
"That one? But you've read it four times!"
"Well it's my favorite!" Mana exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise! " She said excitedly, as she mimed waving a magic wand.
"Well Mana, if you really like it all that much, it's yours!" The bookkeeper said to her as he put his hand on her shoulder. Mana looked stunned.
"But sir!"
"No, no, no I insist." He said kindly as he walked Mana to the door.
"Really? Well thank you! Thank you so much!" She called as she left the shop, taking no heed to the men who were staring in the window, as she opened her book and began to read. As soon as she continued down the street the men spun around and stared after her.
"Look there she goes
That girl is so peculiar!
I wonder if she's feeling well!
With a dreamy far-off look!
And her nose stuck in a book!
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Mana!"
Mana quickly went and sat next to one of the little ponds in town, where the washer women took care of the clothes. Lost in the story as bird fluttered to the pond for a drink.
"Oh! Isn't this amazing!
It's my favorite part because, you'll see!
Here's where she meets Prince Charming
But she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three!" She sang to no one in particular, as she daydreamed, while the washer women looked on with sneers on their faces. They didn't have to wait long though as Mana; still reading suddenly got up and continued her trek through town.
"Now it's no wonder that her name means 'energy'
Hers could go on for days and days!" A woman selling plums called as Mana passed her.
"But behind that fair facade
I'm afraid she's rather odd, very different from the rest of us…. ." An old merchant said to the woman as he spotted the young girl as well.
"She's nothing like the rest of us
Yes different from the rest of us is Mana" The townspeople cried again. A little ways away a gray bird flew gracefully overhead, only to be shot down from the sky with a sharp arrow, it spiraled out of control and landed with a hard thud to the ground; dead.
"Wow! You didn't miss a shot, Bakura! You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!" A skinny man with blond hair and purple eyes called out to another man with strange white hair, light blue eyes, and a scar on his tanned cheek. Rushing forward to put the fallen bird in a sack.
"I know!" Bakura said proudly as he put his bow and arrow down.
"No beast alive stands a chance against you...and no girl for that matter!" The blond haired man said wiggling his eyebrows.
"It's true, Marik, and I've got my sights set on that one!" Bakura exclaimed confidently as he pointed at right at Mana, who was coming toward them. Marik gasped as he saw who Bakura was pointing at.
'The inventor's daughter?" He asked in disbelief. Bakura only grinned as he wrapped his arm around Marik.
"She's the one! The lucky girl I'm going to marry. " He said loudly, as Marik looked at him unsure.
"But she's-- "
"The most beautiful girl in town. " Bakura said, ignoring Marik.
"I know--" He tried again.
"And that makes her the best. And don't I deserve the best?" Bakura growled, losing his patience as he grabbed Marik by the front of his robes and shook him menacingly.
"Well of course, I mean you do, but I mean…" Marik squeaked, looking frightened, as Bakura began to sing.
"Right from the moment when I met her, saw her,
I said she's gorgeous and I fell" He sang, as Mana passed by without even looking in his direction.
"Here in town there's only she
Who is beautiful as me
So I'm making plans to woo and marry Mana." He finished as he began to go in the direction Mana went. As he followed her a group of girls, all with black hair and tight dresses stared at Bakura's retreating figure with love in their eyes.
"Look there he goes, isn't he dreamy
Mister Bakura, oh he's so cute
Be still my heart, I'm hardly breathing
He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute" They all cried as they fainted from the gorgeousness that is Bakura, who was having extreme difficulty keeping up with Mana as she weaved easily through the crowd.
"Iiti"
"Pardon!"
"Good day!"
"Oh Ra."
"You call this papyrus?"
"What lovely grapes!"
" Some cheese!"
"Ten yards!"
"One pound." Was all Bakura heard as he tried to go around the crowd to reach Mana.
"'scuse me!" he called loudly to the people, hoping to get through.
"I'll get the knife!"
"Please let me through!" He cried again, this time pushing people out of his way, but to no avail.
"This bread!"
"Those fish!"
"It's stale!"
"They smell!"
"Lady's mistaken!"
"There must be more than this provincial life!" Mana called loudly as she walked further along, as all the townspeople stared after her.
"Well maybe so..."
"Just watch I'm going to make Mana my wife!" Bakura cried out, while a crowd of people surrounded him.
"Look there she goes a girl who's strange but special
A most peculiar young lady
It's a pity and a sin
She doesn't quite fit in!
But she really is a funny girl
A beauty but a funny girl
She really is a funny girl! That Mana! They all sang as they watched her walk further down the street.
Mana was still so engrossed in her book, she didn't even notice when someone stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Hello, Mana". Bakura said smoothly.
"Good Morning Bakura." Mana said, trying to get around him, but before she could get far Bakura grabbed her book from her hands and proceeded to flip through it.
"Bakura please give me my book back!" She said agitated.
"How on Earth can you read this? It's so dull!" Bakura groaned to her.
"Well some people like to use their imagination." She said lightly to him.
"Mana, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things...like me! The whole town's talking about it." Bakura crooned egotistically as he threw her book into the dirt. As the three girls from earlier sighed lovingly from behind.
"It's not right for a woman to read--soon she starts getting ideas... and thinking." He continues, not noticing Mana's enraged look as she picked up her book and began brushing off the dirt from its cover.
"Bakura, you are so primal." She chided as she stood up. Not noticing he was being insulted, Bakura put his arm around Mana's shoulders and began to walk with her.
"Why thank you, Mana. What do you say you and me take a walk over to the tavern and have a look at my hunting trophies." He asked grinning broadly.
"Maybe some other time." Mana said in what she hoped was a sorry voice as she wriggled out of Bakura's grip, as the three female admirers from the side were shocked.
"WHAT?!" The first girl from the group screamed, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"What's wrong with her?" Another asked skeptically, eying Mana as if she had some disease.
"He's so handsome!" The final and shortest girl screeched as she gazed at Bakura, lust plain in her eyes. But Bakura only ignored them as he tried once more to get Mana to go with him.
"Bakura, I'm sorry, but I can't. I have to get home and help my father," Mana cried, as she tried to escape from the stubborn man.
"That crazy old tart, he need allthe help he can get!" Marik said, as he and Bakura laughed madly. Mana was furious about what they had said regarding her father.
"Don't you dare talk about my father that way!" She roared enraged. Bakura realizing what he had done, saw that he needed to remedy this and quick.
"Yeah, don't talk about her father that way!" he yelled at Marik as he bopped him hard on the head.
"My father's nowhere near crazy! He's an absolute genius!" Mana defended, glaring at the two men. All of a sudden there was a loud explosion followed by black smoke rising from Mana's house.
"Oh no! Father!" Mana cried as she ran down the pathway to her fathers house, as Bakura and Marik laughed and laughed.
New chapter :) I was getting really worried because it said that the Document Manager wasn't working and I was like,"BUT I HAVE A NEW CHAPTER!" So I kept checking and finally it was fixed. Oh and for those who don't know I put in "Iiti" because it means 'Hello' in ancient Egyptian :) I couldn't having Egyptians say 'Bonjour' now could I haha. Oh and I changed some of the lyrics to fit into Egypt as well :) So I hope you enjoy this chapter and please, please, please review:) A new chapter will be up tomorrow.